I started this blog for me - it expanded to show BFF Jackie what I was doing - and a few others have invited themselves too - everybody welcome!
Mostly about patchwork, with random comments about embroidery, family and life in general, come on in, put your feet up, and I'll put the [virtual] kettle on.

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Couldn't resist these fab ribbons, just need to find a use for them: I seem to be better at buying them than actually using them :-)

I got stencil brushes to go with crayons I got at Festival of Quilts, and some great cookie cutters
I really need to cut down on my shopping - back to work next week so my shopping time will be seriously reduced :-(

For all who know uncle Isaac, his visit was boring, and it's now over for us, and life has returned to normal x X

Monday, 27 August 2012

So often I look at fabrics and fall in love, but I don't have the money or the space to buy them. Wouldn't it be lovely to have even just a little bit of all the yummy fabrics. Well Sarah (who blogs at Narcoleptic In A Cupboard) had a great idea, and enough friends to pull it off:

54 of us each buy a metre of Japanese fabric, and chop it into 5 inch squares (charms) we then send them off to Sarah. We then trust Sarah to create 54 piles of different charms and package them up to send them back to us. We are all posting pics of our intended fabrics on a Flickrgroup to ensure that no two of us get the same fabrics, and oh boy there are some fab fabrics that people are contributingThis is my first swap, and I am *very* excited :-)You can click on this picture and drool over the fabrics that are being contributed - but be warned, this carries a severe envy warning!!!

I got these two today, one for God Daughter, one for niece: no sew quilt kits. One comes with pre-snipped fleece squares which get tied together, the other is two big pieces of fleece which need snipping round the edge and tying, apparently no quilting required in the centre. I'm itching to have a go myself!

Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Festival of Quilts is a place of inspiration, but also a place for shopping, and I picked up some yummy pieces that I hadn't seen before

These will be added to some plain cream, and will be made into a 9 patch which is half colour and half cream, with the dividing line being on three HSTs, but for now they have to go into the "Itching to get started" pile

These picture fabrics are for bags (the stamps) and for I-Spy quilts

And I've been looking at Thermofax stuff for years, but this is the first time I've seen an image I can see myself using, so as soon as I find a few spare hours . . .

Sunday, 19 August 2012

During the summer, when I get six weeks off work, you'd think I would have plenty of time to sew and to blog, well this year I have failed on both. I've been spending lots of time catching up with family and friends instead which is not always appropriate for a patchworking themed blog!

Wifi connections and sewing are both likely to be thin on the ground for the next few weeks, but in the last few days I did managed a few bits of making, and a bit of shopping that will (eventually) lead to making . . .

This is part of the queue that was heading for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, from the doors opening the queue took about 15 minutes to pass us (drinking coffee rather than queueing!) and then we sauntered in

I bought some fabric (pics to follow soon) and I bought some fab bits of bling, and spent today making bracelets.

I bought a sewing themed bracelet a while ago from eBay, but the catch wasn't fab, so I transferred the charms onto the new bracelet, and added a few new ones for me

And made another for a friend whose birthday is soon

I also received a fab pressie from Jackie - she made me this cutting board bag which will make transporting stuff to classes (ie tomorrow) much easier - thank you, Bestie, Love you

Sunday, 12 August 2012

There was a 'recipe' for a fairly basic bag in a quilt magazine a few months ago, and I made a few for friend's birthdays (but forgot to take photos).

It occurred to me that with just a little more thought the bag could be reversible. And that instead of tying the straps to adjust the length, I could use D rings. And that I could add two pockets, one inside and one outside. And that I could make it bigger.

Well by this time I'd put the original pattern piece and instructions in a *very* safe place (along with post postcard themed rubber stamps, and some half made turquoise trousers that I also cant find) so I proceeded without the help of instructions or pattern . . .

And I'm really chuffed with the result -a big boxy, very comfy bag that should hold all my shopping from Festival of Quilts!

(Did I tell you I was going to Festival of Quilts? Via Jackie's? One more sleep until I go, yippee!)

Saturday, 11 August 2012

Have I mentioned before how lovely other crafty people are? I'm sure I have, and I'm sure you all know it already, but I want to share a lovely surprise that arrived just now via my postie

Annabelle and I have been following each others blogs for a very long time, almost since the beginning for me. Although she lives quite locally and we occasionally shop at the same fabric shops and attend the same Quilt Shows, we have never arranged to meet up, but I still count her as a friend.

Annabelle sews, and cooks and has even inspired me to cook and to make bread (no mean feat!). She also visits shows and exhibitions that I can't get to, and takes such great photos I feel that I have been too.

However, Annabell, I have discovered, is amazingly generous too. She recently asked for my address, and I happily passed it on and then promptly forgot all about it (menopausal memory!) so I was surprised when postie knocked on the door just now with a delivery for me.

The two things that get consumed quickest in the house are chocolate and cups of tea - and mind-reader Annabelle sent me this fab plaque, and a tea cosie that fits my favourite teapot perfectly

Friday, 10 August 2012

As predicted, they have shrunk, but fairly evenly (apart from some of the letter boxes which seem taller and thinner than their friends).

I remembered to punch holes before I baked them, so I can stitch some on, and maybe stamp others on.

I had read about transfer printing by printing onto the shiny side of freezer paper. The print came out of the printer OK, and obviously wet, ready to be pressed onto the fabric, but all I got was a smudge :-( I quite accept it was my fault, but I think maybe not a process that works for me.

I am going to look for some ribbons and some lace, and maybe some chains and buttons at the Quilt show next week and see what happens.

The following month is animal themed, and I cant decide - the hedgehog? the lizard? the cats? the budgie? I'm tempted to make lots of blocks!!!

Thursday, 9 August 2012

I am a member of a Quilting Bee: Each month we all make a block
for one member, and we will all get a month over the next year and a
half when the block are made for us. The loose theme of the Bee is to
make a block representing where you live, and each month the recipient
gives us her request within that.

This is the month of a lovely lady called May , and she is the overall organiser.

May gave us this brief:I'm making a scrapbook quilt, free style, with your blocks and some of mine thrown in.
This scrapbook will tell the tale of this trip and a bit of my own
travels here and there.
Anything goes, piecing, stitchery, 3D... I'm going to use lace, buttons,
ribbons and who knows what else as well.
Colours: pastel, mainly pink or rose as guideline. Yellow, baby blue,
orange, purple, green... Motives: think of pictures. What would you take
a picture of in your country? Animals, buildings?

All of which took me straight out of my comfort zone!!!

I have started with a pastel raw edge Union Flag

...
but from her requests, it is clearly too bland at the moment. I'm off
to Festival of Quilts next week, and can look for buttons, lace, etc,
but do I add them to the pink, to the blue, anywhere? I'd love to go a
bit steampunk, but don't have the confidence to even start

I
have bought these rubber stamps, and I have some Versa Craft stamp pads
which work on fabric, but I have the same issues with using these. -
where do I put them?

Another
idea is to print a photo of Windsor Castle onto it. According to
Pinterest, I can print onto the shiny side of freezer paper and then
press that onto the fabric, is that scrap booky enough?

Has anyone used shrinkies? I could maybe make buttons with some, perhaps with images of Windsor, or maybe using these stamps, how small will they get?

Sorry I have gone off at a bit of a ramble here, can you tell I have *no* idea what to do!

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

My Oldest daughter, Lisa, is part of a group at Greenwich University who are passionate about Philosophy. Many of them study, or have studied Philosophy, and they run a "Come And Chat" stall at Greenwich market, and issue newsletter and essays which are also posted on their Philosopy Takeaway blog

Good mum that I am try to be, I follow the blog, and always read and [like] the posts, even though some are way too deep for me.

I have been working on a request from a customer. A lady called Katie found my website and contacted me to ask if I would make a quilt as a Christening present for a little girl, Ava: Katie is going to be her God Mother.

Katie had seen Ben's Quilt,

but we didn't have the time to get the blocks decorated by family and friends, so we combined a very girly I-Spy block with three photos of Ava that Katie sent me.

(I have blocked out the photos of Ava as I don't have permission to show them, but the lovely photos show she's a real sweetie)

The binding was finished last night during the Olympics, and I'll get
the quilt to the post office as soon as poss so it arrives in time for
the Christening - I hope the days goes well Katie.

Monday, 6 August 2012

Hello, I am still here, just catching up with other stuff rather than making or blogging!

Several of you left lovely comments regarding the Dorset Buttons. I did start to take photos as I made some more, but then I found this page with the most amazing photos and step by step instructions, and decided not to reinvent the wheel!

So - if you fancy making a Dorset Button, go and visit Craft Stylish, where the very clever Diane shows in very clear detail how to make one